CNN's viewership skewered by comedian Whitney Cummings during live New Year's broadcast

Stand-up comedian Whitney Cummings mocked CNN's low ratings during the channel's special live coverage of New Year's Eve.

"I'm now playing 3,000-person shows, which is about the viewership of CNN these days," the comic said during the program.

The hosts, Bravo's Andy Cohen and longtime CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, appeared to take Cummings' jab in stride. "Nice, nice," Cooper replied, letting out a laugh, while Cohen remarked, "You're all fiery today."

Continuing to play along, Cooper mentioned that he and Cohen did a tour together that had audiences similar in size to Cummings' tour. "We did like 3,000 people," he said.

In the two weeks following Trump's win, CNN saw double-digit percentage drops across the board in key metrics, shedding 33% of total viewers compared to 2024 averages, losing 39% in the demo and 36% of its already small audience during primetime.

During the first week of December, CNN's primetime lineup of "Anderson Cooper 360," "The Source with Kaitlan Collins" and "CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip" averaged only 367,000 total viewers from 8-11 p.m. By comparison, Fox News Channel averaged 2.5 million total primetime viewers during the same period.

Elsewhere during her CNN appearance, Cummings blasted the entertainment industry for lecturing Americans.

When asked about her new hosting gig for streaming service Max of a "Friends"-themed trivia show, "Fast Friends," and whether she's a fan of the legendary 90s sitcom, she replied, "You know what, I'm a 'Friends' fan. I'm also a fan of entertainment that just entertains. There's this new thing where everything in Hollywood has to, like, lecture people how to vote and make you feel guilty about global warming."

"It's just a fun show, no creeps. It's just warm, wholesome," the comic added.